Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Forbes: $2,543 a month against $3,544 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,544

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Forbes

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Singapore and in Forbes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,544 in Singapore versus $2,543 in Forbes.

Singapore $3,544
Forbes $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,318 in Singapore versus $3,751 in Forbes.

Singapore $5,318
Forbes $3,751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,093 in Singapore versus $4,958 in Forbes.

Singapore $7,093
Forbes $4,958

Living in Singapore is roughly 39% more expensive than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 160% above, Forbes 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 SGD 14.90

$15.91 A$22.61

-26.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 SGD 95.4

$94.9 A$135

-21.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 SGD 10.70

$11.31 A$16.07

-26.17%

Cappuccino

$5.24 SGD 6.71

$3.52 A$5.00

48.86%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$2.99 A$4.24

-38.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 SGD 1.64

$2.37 A$3.37

-45.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 SGD 10.68

$6.98 A$9.92

19.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.99 SGD 12.80

$7.40 A$10.52

35.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.99 SGD 3.83

$1.69 A$2.41

76.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 SGD 3.31

$2.42 A$3.44

6.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.55

$2.14 A$3.04

29.44%

Eggs

$3.76 SGD 4.82

$5.00 A$7.10

-24.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.85 SGD 26.73

$10.16 A$14.44

105.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 SGD 12.83

$9.52 A$13.53

5.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.28 SGD 32.41

$13.72 A$19.49

84.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 SGD 5.79

$3.78 A$5.37

19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.19 SGD 4.09

$3.01 A$4.27

5.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$3.55 A$5.05

28.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 SGD 2.78

$4.92 A$6.99

-55.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 SGD 3.18

$2.50 A$3.55

-0.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$2.55 A$3.63

-8.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 SGD 2.44

$2.28 A$3.24

-16.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SGD 1.85

$1.45 A$2.06

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.85 SGD 17.76

$46.43 A$66.0

-70.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 SGD 29.97

$12.36 A$17.57

89.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 SGD 6.02

$4.75 A$6.75

-1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 SGD 6.16

$5.80 A$8.24

-17.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 SGD 1.95

$2.66 A$3.78

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.6 SGD 124

$78.5 A$111

23.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 SGD 4.76

$3.70 A$5.26

0.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 SGD 1.03

$1.72 A$2.45

-52.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.41 SGD 21.04

$45.70 A$64.9

-64.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 SGD 3.25

$1.25 A$1.78

102.40%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$156.9K SGD 201.2K

$33.8K A$48.1K

363.94%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$154.6K SGD 198.2K

$28.1K A$40.0K

449.10%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$170 SGD 218

$195 A$277

-12.86%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.39 SGD 15.89

$23.66 A$33.62

-47.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.02 SGD 35.92

$53.4 A$75.8

-47.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 143

$59.1 A$84.0

88.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.09 SGD 15.50

$19.72 A$28.02

-38.69%

Cinema Ticket

$12.21 SGD 15.65

$12.05 A$17.13

1.33%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,878 SGD 2,408

$2,301 A$3,269

-18.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.1K SGD 37.3K

$21.3K A$30.3K

36.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 SGD 98.5

$80.6 A$115

-4.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 SGD 66.1

$56.7 A$80.6

-9.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 SGD 138

$117 A$166

-7.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SGD 158

$124 A$176

-0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 SGD 3,972

$1,558 A$2,213

98.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,213 SGD 2,837

$1,278 A$1,816

73.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,983 SGD 7,671

$2,463 A$3,499

142.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,088 SGD 5,241

$2,041 A$2,901

100.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.1K SGD 29.6K

$5,228 A$7,428

342.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.7K SGD 21.4K

$5,146 A$7,312

224.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,464 SGD 5,724

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

5.9

-58.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Singapore: October 25, 2026

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62.5%

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3% 42.3% $935

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 12.9%

Forbes

$364 14.3% 20.5% $94

Eating Out

Singapore

$255 7.2%

Forbes

$275 10.8% 7.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 5.9%

Forbes

$272 10.7% 29.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$161 4.6%

Forbes

$170 6.7% 5.3% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$136 3.8%

Forbes

$83 3.3% 38.7% $53

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Forbes

$101 4% 8.2% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,098 in Singapore and $1,558 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74 in Singapore vs $95 in Forbes. Groceries flip the comparison at $458 vs $364, with Forbes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

3 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

8,481

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.701 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.701 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Forbes 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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Forbes

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Singapore vs Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,544 in Singapore and $2,543 in Forbes, so Forbes is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $5,316 in Singapore and $3,814 in Forbes to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,098 in Singapore versus $1,558 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,544 per month in Singapore versus $2,543 in Forbes – Forbes is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Forbes runs roughly 19% less than in Singapore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,543 in Forbes versus $3,544 in Singapore, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Forbes but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Forbes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Singapore and Forbes are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.